Launch of the Fit for Work Europe Coalition

8/8/2019 Launch of the Fit for Work Europe Coalition

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Launch of the

Fit for Work Europe Coalition

Stephen Bevan, Managing Director, The Work Foundation, Founding President of the FfW

Europe Coalition

Antonyia Parvanova, Member of the European Parliament (ALDE, Bulgaria), President of the

FfW Coalition

Prof Paul Emery, Professor of Rheumatology of Molecular Medicine, University of Leeds,

President of EULAR, President of the FfW Coaltion

Dame Carol Black, National Director for Health and Work, Chairman of the Academy of

Medical Royal Colleges and Chairman of the Nuffield Trust, President of the Fit for Work

Coalition


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Why the Fit for Work Coalition?

Steve Bevan, The Work Foundation

MSDs are one of our most preventable and treatablehealth challenges

The research points to a unified approach toaddressing MSDs to improve outcomes

We have already seen exceptional innovation acrossthe EU

We must come together to for REAL outputs such asproving the economic case for intervention


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Antonyia Parvanova, MEP

MSDs cost us enormous sums in economic and socialterms

Citizens of Member States experience widely varyingcare in MSDs

The evidence is there, it is for us as a Coalition tobring the political will to bear to drive change

The EU institutions must come on board to marshallpolicymakers in Member States


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Prof Paul Emery, EULAR

Clinical issues

Doctors were often narrow in setting clinical goals

People living with MSDs have often only been treated for signs and

symptoms

Other outcomes routinely not considered

Rheumatologists didnt take into account what we call functional

outcomes such as playing golf or staying in work

Evidence base was poor for work outcomes

Up until the last few years, little research had demonstrated the worth ofeffective interventions in keeping people in work

Guidance has been lacking


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Prof Paul Emery, EULAR

How we can address them

Rheumatology community has come together to make work a

key measure of successful management of MSDs

(productivity /work outcome studies; EULAR-PARE Work Charter;engagement with EU presidencies)

Clinicians must and will work in partnership with our patients to

set goals to keep them in work

We as EULAR/PARE will partner with FfW to make the EU and

Member States understand that prevention and early

intervention are key to the health of citizens with MSDs


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Dame Carol Black, UK

Success will only come with a Multi-stakeholder Platform

Across EU countries

Within countries, across several Departments of

Government Needs to engage all relevant stakeholders:

- policy-makers

- clinicians and healthcare professionals

- patients and their relatives

- employers

- insurers, evaluators and others

We believe Fit for Work can do this


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Role of the Presidents

To:

Facilitate and bring about action

Champion Fit for Work activities

Connect, influence, collaborate Fit for Work advocates

Share information

Promote research and best practice

Lead and drive the workstreams of Fit for Work


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Fit forWork Coalition core principles

For people living with MSDs:

We believe staying in work is good:

Work is healthy for patients and society

Work makes economic sense

Work is an achievable outcome for

clinicians


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Role of the Fit for Work Coalition

Provide leadership in making MSDs a health

and work priorityat EU and national level

Provide robust evidence base to support Fit

for Work core principles

Provide the means to disseminate best

practices in national settings

Adapt successful initiativesfor nationalimplementation

Documents

Launch of the Fit for Work Europe Coalition